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An inside look at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing centre

As the active COVID-19 case count grew last week, so too did the demand for COVID-19 testing. In an effort to accommodate the anticipated increase in demand for testing at the COVID-19 Testing and Assessment Centre (CTAC) and reduce the wait time for testing, the Yukon government opened a drive-thru testing centre at Centennial Motors car wash on the Alaska Highway.

As the active COVID-19 case count grew last week, so too did the demand for COVID-19 testing. In an effort to accommodate the anticipated increase in demand for testing at the COVID-19 Testing and Assessment Centre (CTAC) and reduce the wait time for testing, the Yukon government opened a drive-thru testing centre at Centennial Motors car wash on the Alaska Highway.

The drive-thru, since opening on Monday, has been conducting approximately 90 tests per day, whereas CTAC can perform approximately 65 tests per day, said Pat Living, the communications director of the Department of Health and Social Services, in an email.

Drivers, after waiting in the lineup outside the car wash, pull in to the first half of the drive-thru car wash bay and are greeted by an intake person who fills out forms for them, including symptom information. Once all the vital information is gathered, the patients are then directed to pull to the front of the car wash bay, where two health care professionals are waiting to perform the COVID-19 test.

On Nov. 24 it was a staff of paramedics.

“EMS has been fabulous in working with us on this and it is working really well,” said Living.

It took roughly two and a half days to set up the drive-thru for testing, Living said. Centennial Motors car wash was chosen as the location for the centre as they were the first to respond to a government call out late on Nov. 20, she added.

The COVID-19 drive-thru testing centre was originally scheduled to operate until Nov. 28, but was extended for an additional two weeks on Nov. 26 to accommodate demand.

Contact Crystal Schick at crystal.schick@yukon-news.com